Camp along the shores of Wide Hollow Reservoir, or rent a canoe, kayak or paddleboard on its clear waters. Hike along park nature trails through a petrified forest, but remember to take only photographs. Some say the petrified wood is haunted and removing a piece brings the taker nothing but bad luck.

Wide Hollow Campground — Escalante State Park

It's easy to over look the gem of an area as it sits between the mega attractions of Bryce Canyon and Arches National Parks, but if you do you are depriving yourself of a real treat. This campsite nestles on the side of an inviting reservoir forming an oasis in the dry Escalante Staircase. The lake side pitches are cool and airy, the facilities are clean and modern (free wifi) and the camping fee entitles you to climb the hill behind the camp site and stumble into a jewel like land scape of a petrified forest where it is impossible to take a step without treading on what looks like rubies and sapphires. There's even a full sizes petrified tree laid out in the car park! Nearby there are waterfalls and petrographs and beavers' dams and fossil beds. It's just magic!

A tranquil gem with hidden facets

We stayed here for one night during a road trip. We selected it because of the shower facilities. I had stayed here once in the back-up sites (for those who come unprepared without a reservation) and this time we had reserved a campsite. It was very busy with families on spring break but the sites are far enough apart that you don’t feel too crowded. 

The showers were clean and large. It was a very nice amenity for our toddler. The shower room is big with an area to hang clothes and another area to shower. This was very helpful with a three year old.

The Visitor Center was not open while we were there, it’s a new building and I don’t believe it was completed yet, but it looks really nice. The trails around the park were a great way to start our morning and they were well taken care of. 

Overall, we love this park and would happily stay here again. 

Great for Small Kids

The reservoir was looking low but still beautiful. You can rent kayaks there. Trails through petrified forest were interesting especially trails of sleeping rainbows although there were a couple short strenuous spots. I originally booked spot 12, which was listed as not suitable for larger rvs. I have a 18' travel trailer and assumed we could fit but I misunderstood the description. It's really only suitable for very small travel trailers (like 8' long) or vans. We would not have fit our camper and truck in that spot. Luckily lake d was walk up for 2 nights and we stayed there instead. The lake spots are so nice and D in particular had great views of the reservoir and didn't feel as close to neighbors as the other spots. Showers were large, had a bench for putting your stuff. 